following him on his orders, in case he was set upon. It was a deeper game than I’d first thought.”
“What happened?” Susanna realized she’d lowered her voice.
“I continued to approach, though my instincts told me to walk away. I heard a shout from one of the two who had first set upon the Frenchman, and it was as if my blood turned to winter rain.”
He shook his head, and it seemed to Susanna he was reliving his disbelief at another’s stupidity. “It was a particular battle cry often used at the royal jousting tournaments, and in the days when my father was alive I had been to more than a few. I knew immediately whose call it was.”
“Whose?” Susanna asked.
“The King’s. The King of England and a courtier were attacking the Frenchman on the docks.”
Susanna gasped. “Why would he be so bold?”
“So careless, you mean?” Parker raised his eyebrows. “He often went out in disguise to mingle with the commoners, I discovered afterward. But this time it was in deadly earnest. He’d been approached by the Frenchman at court as he went out to hunt earlier that day, and it was clear the mercenary had a letter Henry could not allow to be made public. He decided to get it back himself, with only Brandon at his side, to keep all knowledge of it secret from others at court.”
“What did you do?” Susanna asked.
“What could I do?” Parker sounded resigned. “I leaped in on the King’s behalf, although I had no weapon but the knife I always carried.” He smiled faintly. “The King and Brandon were pleased to have me, as they were used to courtly games of mock battle and set rules of engagement—not the street fighting of a mercenary and his dockhand helpers.
“With my help, the King managed to take the Frenchman down and cut his purse from his belt. As soon as he had it in hand, Brandon grabbed him, and both the King and I noticedthen what only Brandon had seen: that a crowd had drifted over from the taverns to watch the fight.”
Again, Parker shook his head. “The King was in even graver danger. Danger of his life, and danger of discovery. Brandon urged him away, and they ran off.”
“Leaving you to face the crowd?” Shock made her voice tremble.
“It was my duty to keep the men the Frenchman had hired away from the King. And it helped that they were uncertain what to do—their paymaster was dead or injured, and some of the fight had gone out of them. They carried on because they thought they could take me and win. But I had a stroke of fortune. One of the men in the crowd recognized me and called out my name. Thinking the balance of numbers was about to turn against them, they ran off.”
“Were you hurt?”
“A cut on my arm, some bruises.” Parker waved the question off as of no concern. “I knelt at the Frenchman’s side, and could feel there was faint life in him. He was bleeding and unconscious. I checked his coat and his shirt to see if there was any way to identify him, and deep inside his cloak, cleverly hidden in the lining, was a deep pocket with a letter in it.”
“The letter the King was looking for?”
“Aye.” Parker steepled his fingers. “The mercenary had taken the letter out of his pouch when he’d approached the King earlier, but must have decided it wasn’t safe enough there.”
“So now you had the letter.” Susanna wondered what the King had done when he’d realized the letter was not in the pouch he’d risked his life and reputation to get.
“I had the letter,” Parker agreed. “And from what I could see, that was as good as having a price on my head.”
14
The Chiefe Conditions and Qualities in a Courtier:
To play upon the Vyole, and all other instruments with freates.
Of the Chief Conditions and Qualityes in a Waytyng Gentylwoman:
To be seene in the most necessarie languages.
W hat was written in that letter?” Susanna hugged her arms close to stop herself trembling. Parker hesitated, as if he truly believed he should not
“What happened?” Susanna realized she’d lowered her voice.
“I continued to approach, though my instincts told me to walk away. I heard a shout from one of the two who had first set upon the Frenchman, and it was as if my blood turned to winter rain.”
He shook his head, and it seemed to Susanna he was reliving his disbelief at another’s stupidity. “It was a particular battle cry often used at the royal jousting tournaments, and in the days when my father was alive I had been to more than a few. I knew immediately whose call it was.”
“Whose?” Susanna asked.
“The King’s. The King of England and a courtier were attacking the Frenchman on the docks.”
Susanna gasped. “Why would he be so bold?”
“So careless, you mean?” Parker raised his eyebrows. “He often went out in disguise to mingle with the commoners, I discovered afterward. But this time it was in deadly earnest. He’d been approached by the Frenchman at court as he went out to hunt earlier that day, and it was clear the mercenary had a letter Henry could not allow to be made public. He decided to get it back himself, with only Brandon at his side, to keep all knowledge of it secret from others at court.”
“What did you do?” Susanna asked.
“What could I do?” Parker sounded resigned. “I leaped in on the King’s behalf, although I had no weapon but the knife I always carried.” He smiled faintly. “The King and Brandon were pleased to have me, as they were used to courtly games of mock battle and set rules of engagement—not the street fighting of a mercenary and his dockhand helpers.
“With my help, the King managed to take the Frenchman down and cut his purse from his belt. As soon as he had it in hand, Brandon grabbed him, and both the King and I noticedthen what only Brandon had seen: that a crowd had drifted over from the taverns to watch the fight.”
Again, Parker shook his head. “The King was in even graver danger. Danger of his life, and danger of discovery. Brandon urged him away, and they ran off.”
“Leaving you to face the crowd?” Shock made her voice tremble.
“It was my duty to keep the men the Frenchman had hired away from the King. And it helped that they were uncertain what to do—their paymaster was dead or injured, and some of the fight had gone out of them. They carried on because they thought they could take me and win. But I had a stroke of fortune. One of the men in the crowd recognized me and called out my name. Thinking the balance of numbers was about to turn against them, they ran off.”
“Were you hurt?”
“A cut on my arm, some bruises.” Parker waved the question off as of no concern. “I knelt at the Frenchman’s side, and could feel there was faint life in him. He was bleeding and unconscious. I checked his coat and his shirt to see if there was any way to identify him, and deep inside his cloak, cleverly hidden in the lining, was a deep pocket with a letter in it.”
“The letter the King was looking for?”
“Aye.” Parker steepled his fingers. “The mercenary had taken the letter out of his pouch when he’d approached the King earlier, but must have decided it wasn’t safe enough there.”
“So now you had the letter.” Susanna wondered what the King had done when he’d realized the letter was not in the pouch he’d risked his life and reputation to get.
“I had the letter,” Parker agreed. “And from what I could see, that was as good as having a price on my head.”
14
The Chiefe Conditions and Qualities in a Courtier:
To play upon the Vyole, and all other instruments with freates.
Of the Chief Conditions and Qualityes in a Waytyng Gentylwoman:
To be seene in the most necessarie languages.
W hat was written in that letter?” Susanna hugged her arms close to stop herself trembling. Parker hesitated, as if he truly believed he should not
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